Introduction
Geographic Information Science is a field that requires basic computer literacy. The goal of these pages is to help students who are interested in GIS to be certain that they have mastered skills that are necessary to their success in future GIS courses and beyond. One of the criteria for enrollment in GIS courses at the University of West Florida is viewing this material and providing evidence that you possess these minimum competencies through a written exam.
Here you will learn the following concepts:
Save a file with a meaningful name to a specific location.
Recognize different File types and the appropriate uses of each.
Recall and locate where files are being saved.
Use ‘save as’ to create a copy of a file.
Use folders to manage files.
- Unzip a file after it has been downloaded and note where the extracted files are being saved.
Basic File Information
File Naming Conventions
Naming folders and files in a consistent, logical, and predictable way means that information may be located, identified, and retrieved by yourself or colleagues, as quickly and easily as possible. The simple rules apply equally to electronic and physical files and folders. The file name describes, at a glance, what the document is about, making it easier to browse files more effectively and efficiently.
File Names should be:
- Unique
- Indicate what the file contains
- Reflect how you work with your information (what is significant, what is most likely searched for, who the audience is)
- Naturally ordered
- Consistent and understood by everyone
Click on each of the following rules for more information and examples.
File names should be kept as short as possible while also being meaningful. Avoid using initials, abbreviations and codes that are not commonly understood. This is particularly important for records that have to be kept for a long period of time as the meaning of the acronym may not be known over time. Bad: Arc_GIS_Overview_Lab_Week_1_My_Process_Summary_firstname_lastname.docx Good: ArcGISOverviewProcessSummaryfirstnamelastname.docx Why? Some words add length to a file name but do not contribute towards the meaning, for example, words like “the”, “a”, and “and”. Where the remaining file name is still meaningful within the context of the file directory these elements can be removed. Sometimes words have standard abbreviations, e.g. “Wk” is a standard abbreviation for “week”; where this is the case the standard abbreviation can be used. |
Avoid redundancy in file names and file paths. Unnecessary repetition increases the length of file names and file paths which is incompatible with rule 1. This rule assumes that appropriate file structures are in place to support the efficient management of documents. Bad: /.../GIS4043/Lab4/GIS4043Lab4ProcessSummary.doc Good: /.../GIS4043/Lab4/ProcessSummary.doc Why? The folder and subfolder that contains this file are called “GIS4043” and "Lab4" respectively. It is not necessary to include these words in the file name because all the records in that folder are GIS 4043, Lab 4 documents. |
It may be appropriate to include within a file name the name of an individual, usually when the record is a piece of correspondence. When it is appropriate to include a personal name it should be given as last name first followed by initials, with no comma, as it is most likely that the record will be retrieved according to the last name of the individual. Bad: SamRBrownProcessSummary.doc Good: BrownSRProcessSummary.doc Why? This is a document that belongs to Samuel R Brown. By putting your last name first the file directory will display this file next to the B's, which is where you (and your instructors) would expect to find a document belonging to Mr. Brown. |
Avoid using common words such as ‘draft’ or ‘letter’ at the start of file names, or all of those records will appear together in the file directory, making it more difficult to retrieve the records you are looking for. If these words help with searching for your file, you may want to ignore this rule sometimes. Bad: DraftBrownSRProcessSummary.doc Good: BrownSRProcessSummaryDraft.doc Why? The file directory will list files in alphanumeric order. This means that all records with file names starting “Draft” will be listed together. When retrieving files it will be more useful to find the draft document next to the final document rather than next to an unrelated draft document. |
Different operating systems (e.g. Linux, OS X, Windows) have different file name requirements, in particular different characters that they do not recognize in file names. The use of these characters can cause problems. Even if your operating system allows you to save the file you may encounter difficulties if you try to transport the file to another operating system, for example, the file may not be recognized, or if you send it to someone else they may not be able to open it. It is therefore recommended that you avoid the use of non-alphanumeric characters in filenames. In general, avoid: * : \ / < > | " ? [ ] ; = + & £ $ , . However, hyphens (-) may be used. Bad: Data&MapsReport.pdf Good: DataAndMapsReport.pdf Why? Most non-alphanumeric characters can be omitted without much loss of meaning, e.g. commas and quotation marks. Others can be replaced with alphanumeric characters, e.g. "&" and "+" can be replaced with "And" and "Plus". Hyphens can be used in place of forward slashes and brackets. |
File Types
Windows file names have two parts; the file's name, then a period followed by the extension (suffix). The extension is a three- or four-letter abbreviation that signifies the file type. For example, in letter.docx the filename is letter and the extension is docx. Extensions are important because they tell your computer what icon to use for the file, and what application can open the file. For example, the doc extension tells your computer that the file is a Microsoft Word file.
If you want to open a MAC OS X file in Windows, you may need to add the extension to a MAC OS X file name so Windows can recognize it. For example, if you have a Word 6 MAC OS X document named letter that you want to open in Windows, you need to rename the file letter.docx so that Word in Windows will recognize and open the file.
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These lists are by no means complete. If the file extension you are using is not listed here, you may find the information by looking in the software manual or software application's Web site. |
Showing File Extensions
If none of your file names have extensions, file extensions are hidden. To show file extensions:
- In the File Explorer, click the "View" tab and select the check box next to "File name extensions."
Use ‘save as’ to create a copy of a file or save as a different format.
To save a file in Microsoft Office programs, follow these steps:
- On the File menu, click Save As.
- In the Save As box, type a name for the document.
- Choose the Format type such as Word Document (.docx) or another format you would like.
- By default, the file is saved in the Documents folder. If you want to save the file in a different folder, change the Where box to the different folder.
- By default, the file is saved with the following extensions:
- When you save an Excel worksheet, Excel Workbook (.xlsx) is listed in the Format box.
- When you save a PowerPoint presentation, PowerPoint Presentation (.pptx) is listed in the Format box.
- When you save a Word document, Word Document (.docx) is listed in the Format box.
- Click Save
To save a file in a different file format, follow these steps.
- On the File menu, click Save As.
- In the Save As box, type a name for the document. By default, the file is saved in the Documents folder. If you want to save the file in a different folder, change the Where box to the other folder.
- In the Format box, select the new format in which you want to save the file. For example:
- If you want to save an Excel workbook in an earlier version of the Excel file format, select Excel 97–2004 Workbook (.xls).
- If you want to save a PowerPoint presentation in an earlier version of the PowerPoint file format, select PowerPoint 97–2004 Presentation (.ppt).
- If you want to save a Word document in an earlier version of the Word file format, select Word 97–2004 Document (.doc).
- Choose PDF if you want to save the file in PDF format. Only save the document as a PDF once the document has been completed, once it is saved as a PDF it can no longer be modified within Word.
- Click Save.
When you save a file in a different file format, some features that are supported by the current file format may be lost. You may want to save a copy of your file in the current file format before you save the file in a different file format. |
Folders and File Search
Use folders to manage class files.
This section will walk you through setting up your folder for Intro to GIS. It is advised that you follow along and repeat this process with every module in every class.
- In your S Drive, right-click and Create New Folder.
- While the name is highlighted, name the folder GIS4043. If the name becomes unhighlighted, you can click once to select, then click again to highlight or right-click and choose 'Rename' to change the name of the folder. It is very important that there are no spaces in your file names.
- Open GIS4043 and right-click to add a new folder. Name this folder ArcGISOverview.
- Open ArcGISOverview and add two new folders. Name them Data and Documents
- Repeat this process for every Lab Module for every GIS class unless instructed otherwise.
Recall and locate your saved files
Searching with File Explorer
In addition to the Search feature found on the Charms bar, you can also search for files directly from File Explorer using the Search bar. File Explorer also offers more advanced search options, which can be especially helpful if you're having trouble finding a specific file.
To use the Search bar:
- Locate and select the Search bar in File Explorer.
- Enter a file name or keyword. Your search results will appear as you type.
The Search Tools tab
Whenever you enter a term into the search bar, the Search Tools tab will open automatically on the Ribbon.
This tab gives you access to advanced search options, which allow you to limit your search by file type, size and date modified, view your recent searches, and more.
Zipping and Unzipping Files
Zip a file for upload
Zipped (compressed) files take up less storage space and can be transferred to other computers more quickly than uncompressed files. In Windows, you work with zipped files and folders in the same way that you work with uncompressed files and folders. Combine several files into a single zipped folder to more easily share a group of files.
- Locate the file or folder that you want to zip.
- Press and hold (or right-click) the file or folder, select (or point to) Send to, and then select Compressed (zipped) folder. A new zipped folder with the same name is created in the same location.
- To rename it, press and hold (or right-click) the folder, select Rename, and then type the new name.
Zip File Tips
- To add files or folders to a zipped folder you created earlier, drag them to the zipped folder.
- If you add encrypted files to a zipped folder, they'll be unencrypted when they're unzipped, which might result in unintentional disclosure of personal or sensitive information. For that reason, we recommend that you avoid zipping encrypted files.
- Some types of files, like JPEG images, are already highly compressed. If you zip several JPEG pictures into a folder, the total size of the folder will be about the same as the original collection of pictures.
Unzip a file after it has been downloaded
Zipping allows multiple files to be packaged into a single small bundle. Zipping is commonly used for emailing attachments and internet downloads. Read below to learn how to unzip or "extract" zipped files.
- Locate the zipped folder that you want to unzip (extract) files or folders from.
- Do one of the following:
- To unzip a single file or folder, open the zipped folder, then drag the file or folder from the zipped folder to a new location.
- To unzip all the contents of the zipped folder, press and hold (or right-click) the folder, select Extract All, and then follow the instructions.
- Be sure to pay attention to where you save the extracted files! Save files to your dedicated drive and working folder for GIS.
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